Merci Train - Hawaii
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Although the historically minded among us will know that Hawaii was not a state in 1949, and wonder why it has a boxcar, Hawaiians had contributed a large amount of sugar to the Friendship Train's relief goods that went to France in 1947. Although I haven't read of what the residents of the District of Columbia contributed to that effort, I feel quite confident that it was significant and that the French people wanted to make sure that expressions of their gratitude would reach those peoples in Hawaii and Washington D.C. Therefore they did designate one of the cars to be shared by those communities. Although I have not yet found any official reports that tell me how the gifts were split, Hawaii does have the box car and the claim above in the Artifacts paragraph may explain why.
John and Sue Ann Irving's visit to the Hawaiian Boxcar
John and Sue Ann Irving and their friends Bob and Sharon McElroy have, in their retirement, been traveling to various areas of America, and while doing it, they are trying to visit as many of the Merci boxcars as they can. Here is their account of the Hawaiian Merci boxcar visit.
From Hawaii:
Hi Earl,
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Honolulu
Subject: Hawaii's French Merci Boxcar
Our goal for the day was to view the Hawaii's French Boxcar. It is located at the Hawaiian Railway Society property in the Ewa Beach area, which lies due west and a little north of Honolulu. (For more on the rail history of Hawaii see their web site at: hawaiianrailway.com).
It would take us nearly two and a half hours to reach the Railway Society's property by bus, with one transfer. Not bad for only being twenty-two miles away. We left our hotel, caught the bus (#42) a half block away at 9:30 am and after one transfer (to the #44), arrived at the gate of the Hawaiian Railway Society at 12 noon.
Traffic is heavy and lots of people use the bus to get around. There were many, many stops along the way as people got on and off. The majority of the people, however, were going either to the Flea Market being held at Aloha Stadium or to the Arizona Memorial. Once we got past those two places, the bus was nearly empty.
Sharon had been in e-mail communication with Glen Houlton, a volunteer with the Society, and he was expecting us. He turned out to have a wealth of information on how the Society acquired the boxcar and its history. We were fortunate to have been able to meet with him.
The Society acquired the boxcar some years ago, after it fell into disrepair and no one wanted it. Sadly, it has not been restored. Glen made the comment that it was probably in the worst condition of any of the remaining boxcars. We would have to agree.
It sits out in the open, exposed to the heavy rains and wind that occur almost on a daily basis. The wood is rotted, the metal is rusty. Whatever paint remains is peeling off and much of the interior floor has been eaten by termites. One of the four springs that support the boxcar over the wheels has collapsed due to the rust. Some of the metal rails have rusted completely through and are disappearing as they dissolve. It is a sad remnant of what was a beautiful thank you gift to the American people.
Glen had commented that there had been some talk of a restoration, but that would be virtually impossible. They might be able to reconstruct a replica but restoration at this stage could not be done. Nearly everything would have to be replaced. Certainly all the wood and much of the metal. It would be easier to find a rusting relic somewhere in France, sitting on an unused siding and bring it back to Hawaii, than to restore this one.
The one positive aspect was that we were able to see how the brakes worked on these old cars. All the ones we have seen so far have had the brakes modified in some way for some reason. This one still had the original linkage and brake shoe. And that was it for this car, one brake shoe on a single wheel. It acted only as a parking brake and was not used to try and stop the train. Other cars were equipped to do that.
This car still had the horse rings in the ceiling, as others did and for the first time, we were shown that the wooden covers for the openings slid up and down rather than on hinges. Each time we see one of these cars, we learn more.
We spent about a half hour looking at the car and talking with Glen. Then it was time to leave.
Back on the #44 bus, which we rode almost to the end of its line. Our bus driver was exceptionally friendly and we had quite a conversation with him. We ended up, at his suggestion, getting off at a small shopping mall and having lunch. We were starving as it was almost one o'clock. The best part is that there was a McDonald's there.
We finished in time to catch him on his return trip. He then dropped us off where we could transfer to the #42 bus which we had come in on.
(Sue Ann: We had purchased a small box of Hawaiian cookies in the grocery store, which we gave to the driver. He was delighted with this gift and said he would NOT be sharing them with anybody! In part of the conversations with him, John found out that this driver had spent time in the military and at some of the same places John had been. They had a good time!)
Our timing through the day couldn't have been more perfect. While on the bus to the Railway Society's rail yard, we had one very large shower come through. After a brief shower there, the sun came out and the rest of the day was gorgeous. Light breeze, very moderate temperatures and mostly sunny skies. A perfect winter day.
From wonderfully warm, sunny but sometimes wet Honolulu, we bid you all Aloha.
John and Sue Ann Irving
Bob and Sharon McElroy